This tahina sauce is creamy, nutty and flavorful- perfect on falafel, shawarma, grilled meats, fish, fried or roasted vegetables and salads! It comes together in five minutes with five simple ingredients.

What is tahina?

Also known as tahini, tahina is a Middle Eastern pantry staple. It is made by crushing sesame seeds into a paste, much like a nut butter.

The name tahina comes from the Arabic word tahan, which means “to grind” or “to pulverize”.

Traditionally, tahina is made by toasting and then grinding sesame seeds with a stone grinder.

Sesame seeds are believed to have originated in Sub-Saharan Africa, and have been cultivated in Egypt as early as 1350 BC. Today, sesame finds its way in endless Egyptian and regional dishes, often in this paste form- tahina!

Tahina can be found all over the world these days. In the US it can be found in most grocery stores. If you are near a Middle Eastern grocer however, I recommend you source your tahina there for the best quality options.

A good tahina will be pourable and not too thick, and will not be bitter. The quality of your tahina can really make or break your tahina sauce.

It has a rich, earthy, nutty flavor. Like a nut butter, it contains a lot of oil, which can separate during storage. You can keep your tahina in the pantry, upside down, and give it a stir before using to make sure the oil is fully incorporated.

I highly recommend Al’Ard Palestinian Tahini and Al Kanater Lebanese Tahini brands for a tahina with great taste and texture.

What goes well with tahina sauce?

In Egypt you will find tahina sauce on the table a lot. It is served as a side dish, sometimes to be eaten as is with bread.

But there are some dishes that are always accompanied by tahina sauce. These include falafel and fish and seafood dishes.

In Egypt, tahina tops shawarma, liver sandwiches, ful medames, and is used as a salad dressing.

The possibilities are endless.

How do you make tahina sauce?

Making tahina sauce is super quick and simple, and aside from the tahina itself, requires only a few basic ingredients.

Since its such a simple sauce, the quality of your ingredients is what matters most here.

The main ingredients for tahina sauce are:

• Tahina, good quality, as discussed above,
• Lemon juice, always use fresh!
• Garlic, freshly minced or crushed in a mortar and pestle please!
• Spices- I use cumin here, and top it with a bit of paprika, but coriander or sumac are other options
• Salt
• Warm water

Making tahina sauce

To make the tahina sauce, simply combine tahina, lemon juice, salt garlic and cumin in a bowl.

Begin whisking the ingredients.

The tahina will thicken significantly. This is normal. Keep whisking until its as smooth and you can get it.

Then, you will add some warm water and continue whisking. The sauce will loosen in texture and lighten in color. Add water bit by bit until you reach your desired texture.

Then, as always, taste and adjust seasoning as you wish.

Transfer to a serving bowl. You can serve tahina sauce plain, or garnished with herbs and spices.

Here I’ve garnished the tahina sauce with paprika and minced parsley, which I love stirred into the sauce.

Bel hana wel shifa, enjoy!